Strongbox



March 1, 1938. Rb; PAsAL/ACQUA 2,109,928

sTRoNGBox Filed Dec. 5, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 1 Z v v Y D. F'ASSALACQUAA ZQZ@ STRONGBOX Filed Dec. 5, 1935 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Passa/ac la Patented Mar. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEVCE 5 Claims.

`My present Vinvention relates lto strong boxes, jewelry cases and similar receptacles for the storage and safekeeping of jewelry, money .and other valuables, and it has for its general object to provide a not `too elaborate structure of this character which will `be suitable for home or private use and will there prevent or at least make'diicult the tampering with or pilfering of the contents. The improvements are directed -i-n part toward features, including combination, as distinguished from key-controlled locks for -the closures of the box or chest; toward rendering these ,unrecognizable as such because of the place they occupy in the general design of the chest; toward the provision of an alarm automatically announcing the opening of the chest, and toward the provision of a dependent system of Vcombination controls whereby the actuation of one -is dependent upon the prior actuation of the other.

To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a jewel case or chest constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, the lid thereof being in open position;

Fig. 2 isa central vertical section therethrough taken from front to rear;

Fig. ,3 isa longitudinal ,section taken on the line'3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of the forward portion of the bottom of the upper container, showing the latch control mech# anism for the lid;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged rear view of the latch c'ontrolling dial;

Fig. 6 is a front view thereof on the same scale;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged front view of one of the drawer control dials, and

Fig. 8 is a rear View thereof on the same scale.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The present embodiment of the invention is in the form of a household chest 'of modest design for the separate deposit of jewelry, money,

papers, etc., and referring more particularly to' the drawings, l indicates generally the box or body of the chest in which there is an upper compartment 2 and a lower drawer compartment 3 beneath it. The upper compartment is closed (Cl. 20G-1.5)

by and accessible only through a lid or cover l hinged at 5 in the usual manner and normally held closed at the front by a latch 6 that will belater described in detail.

The compartment 2 is preferably formed, as shown, of a separate inner bo-X having a front wall 'I spaced from the front wall of the chest to form a compartment 8 for the latch 6 and its controlling mechanism. The side Walls 9 are similarly spaced from the side walls of the chest l to constitute chambers l0 occupied by the opening mechanisms for the lid. The bottom ll forms the top wall of the drawer chamber 3 and separates the two chambers.

Each lid actuating mechanism in the chambers l!) embodies a lever l2 fulcrumed on a s tud I3 on one of the. walls with a tension spring lll connected to its rear end and to the bottom wall lvl, the tension of which tends to throw the forward end upwardly. This forward end is pivotally connected by a link l with the inside of the lid so that, upon release of the latch 6, the lid will automatically spring open to the position of Fig. l and be held there.

Housed within the lid is an alarm mechanism, indicated generally at 16, of the general type used in Yalarm clocks embodying a spring, accelerating gears, clapper and bell which, though shown, need not be. described in detail. Suiice it to say that it is wound without the usual ratchet detent by a key or thumb piece ll which projects through the lining board i8 of the lid adjacent to the -side Wall 9 of the upper chamber and so close thereto that it cannot rotate un-der the inuence of the alarm spring because of contact with such side wall when the lid is down. To set the alarm, it is energized with the key and the lid dropped. When the latter has latched, the key will not have turned in an appreciable manner and will become locked against the side Wall of the chamber and the alarm stilled. Upon the release of the latch, the lid will spring open automatically, release the key and sound the alarm.

The sides of the chest are ornamented with knobs or buttons i9 and 2i). The one at the front designated at 20, though .apparently the same as the rest, is a turnable dial, an inconspicuous designation on which shows its permissible position. It turns on a stem 2l in the chest Wall against 50 which it is: held tight by a disk 22 on its inner side (Figs. 2, 5, and 6). The latch 6 is pivoted at 23 in chamber 8 and its lower end 24 extends down into relationship with the disk 22. It is provided with a protuberance or finger 25 that 5 5 Cil abuts against the disk normally in such manner that it cannot be articulated and the latching end released, as shown in Fig. 2, this latching position, however, being otherwise maintained by the tension of a spring 26 arranged in a cavity in the bottom wall Il of the chamber 2 and connected to said wall and to the lever arm. However, when the dial and hence the disk 22 are rotated to the permissible point, a notch 2'! in the disk falls opposite the nger so that the latter is clear, the latch lever may be rocked and the upper latching end released.

It will be observed that the dial control Eil-22 does not in itself unlatch the lid which, as stated, is held retained under influence of spring 28 and after the dial has been properly set it is still necessary to gain access to chamber 3 to press latch arm 24 forwardly with the fingers. But chamber 3 is normally closed and locked by another dial control which, therefore, must be first operated. This closure consists, in the present instance, of a sliding drawer 28 carrying on its outer sides a molding 29 separate from the chest but ordinarily hugging the outer wall of the latter as a continuation of a molding 30 that is fixed to the chest so that the drawer is not obviously such. The bottom 3l of the drawer chamber is preferably raised from the bottom of the chest as a whole, and at the front of the latter below it is formed a chamber 32. Another series of buttons 33 and 34 ornaments the base of the chest on several sides and again the groups 33 are not merely ornamental but constitute dials that lock the drawer 28 closed. For this purpose, the stems 35 thereof carry disks 3S (Figs. 2, '7, and 8) that rotatably lock in a transverse groove 3l in the bottom of the forward edge of the drawer projecting suiiiciently above the base and drawer chamber bottom 3l to do this. However, each has a fiat side 38 and when, with the turning of the dial buttons 33, all of these iiat sides or cutaway portions become alined with the plane of the bottom of the drawer chamber, they no longer engage the slot 37 and the drawer may be withdrawn by inserting a thin implement between the molding 29 and exerting an outward pull. Only then can the arm. 24 of the lid latch for the upper compartment be reached even if its combination control is in permissible position.

A strong box constructed in accordance with my invention is simple in construction, adequate in its protection for many requirements and may be produced at a relatively 10W cost.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a strong box construction, the combination with a 'chest having an upper chamber provided with a lid and a lower chamber provided with a displaceable closure at one end, of a combinatio-n controlled lock for said closure and a latch for the lid accessible for release only from the interior of the. lower chamber.

2. In a strong box construction, the combination with a chest having an upper chamber provided with a lid and a lower drawer chamber, of a sliding drawer in the latter 'constituting a displaceable closure therefor, a combination controlled lock for the drawer and a latch for the lid accessible for release only from the interior of the drawer chamber after the drawer has been partially withdrawn.

3. In a strong box construction, the combination with a chest having an upper chamber provided with a lid and a lower chamber provided with a displaceable closure at one end, of a combination controlled lock for said closure, a latch for the lid accessible for release only from the interior of the lower chamber, and a combination controlled detent for the latch manually r operable from the exterior of the chest but also controlling its release.

4. In a strong lbox construction, the combination with a chest having an upper chamber provided with a lid and a lower drawer chamber, of

a sliding drawer in the latter constituting a displaceable closure therefor and having a groove in its under side, rotatable combination knobs on the exterior of the chest provided with disks on the inside locking in the slot but provided with cutaway portions permitting them to be withdrawn therefrom through rotation, and a latch for the lid accessible for release only from the interior of the drawer chamber after the drawer has been partially withdrawn.

5. In a strong box construction, the combination with a chest having an upper chamber provided with a lid and a lower chamber provided with a displaceable closure at one end, of a combination controlled lock for said closure, a latch for the lid accessible for release only from the interior of the lower chamber and comprising a lever housed within the chest, and a combination knob on the exterior of the chest having a movable abutment on the interior of the latter adjustable thereby into and out of the path of the lever.

DIEGO PASSALACQUA. 

